The psychopharmacological treatment in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common child psychiatric disorders that continues in a considerable number of patients into adulthood. In adults diagnosis may be more difficult to establish because the core symptoms e.g. hyperactivity may be remitted or covered from various comorbidities that occur together with the disorder. Treatment in adults predominantely relies on pharmacotherapeutic approaches especially with psychostimulants. Empirical studies indicate that their clinical effectiveness may be as high as in children and adolescents. However due to the high prevalence of comorbidities, e.g. depression, the psychopharmocological treatment requires an extended use of other substance groups, especially anti-depressants. An optimal treatment response necessitates the choice of an adequate substance, depends on the leading clinical symptoms and a procedure of an individual titration of different dosages. This article reviews the current empirical results in the pharmacological treatment of ADHD in adults and provides possible treatment strategies for clinical practice.